Third World Awakening and Growing Strong in United Struggle

THE awakening and growth of the Third World is a prominent feature of the present international situation. Among the peoples of the Third World, the trend for unity against the enemy has been further strengthened and their struggle to win and safeguard national independence is growing in depth and breadth. Entering the world arena as a giant, the Third World opposes the hegemonism and power politics of the superpowers and is pounding fiercely at imperialism, colonialism, racism and Zionism. The rise of the Third World — about one hundred countries with a population accounting for about three-quarters of the world's total — is changing the world balance of forces and pushing the world forward.

Bankruptcy of the Theories of "Special Responsibility" and "Filling the Vacuum"

The two hegemonic powers, the Soviet Union and the United States, have always looked down on the Third World countries and people, and regarded themselves as the supreme rulers of the Third World. U.S. imperialism has always behaved like a world "gendarme," trying to "fill the vacuum" everywhere in the world. Soviet revisionist chieftain Brezhnev's claim that .the Soviet Union has a "special responsibility" is the same stuff as the "fill the vacuum" fallacy trumpeted by U.S. imperialism. However, the Third World by its struggle has smashed these theories of aggression and expansion spread by the two overlords. What the two superpowers face in the Third World today is no "vacuum" but the daily awakening, united and militant peoples and the rising trend of countries wanting independence, nations wanting liberation and the people wanting revolution. This rising trend is irresistible, a fact clearly proved by events in the past year. The three Indochinese peoples have won great victories in their struggle against U.S. aggression and for national salvation and victories of the Arab countries in their war of resistance against Israeli aggression have dealt a heavy blow to the plots of the two hegemonic powers to seize and control the Middle East. The fight against the superpowers' maritime hegemony and for defending sea sovereignty has become a worldwide struggle and the number of countries standing for and declaring a 200-mile territorial waters limit or economic zone has increased to nearly 80. The Third World has increasingly made its strength felt even in the United Nations- which has long been under the control of the two superpowers. All this fully shows that the peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America are determined to be the master of their own destiny and their own house. The superpowers will be knocking their heads against the wall if they again try to "fill the vacuum" or assume a "special responsibility" in the Third World. The Third World is playing an even more important role in the arena of international struggle. Imperialism no longer dares to ignore the existence of the Third World, the awakening and growth of which has opened up a situation in which "affairs in the world require consultations. The internal affairs of a country must be settled by the people of that country, and international affairs must be settled by all concerned through consultation. They must not be decided by the two big powers." The assertion that the international situation "depends on the direction and process of the development of relations between the United States and the Soviet Union" (Pravda) is delirious hegemonic drivel.

Soviet Revisionist Social-Imperialism Discredited

With its true colours being revealed more rapidly in the Third World, Soviet revisionist social-imperialism has become discredited. The people and public opinion there more and more clearly know that the Soviet Union is an imperialist country engaging in expansion everywhere under the signboard of "socialism." This is a new indication of the Third World's daily awakening. This new situation was underlined by developments before and after last September's 4th Conference of Non-Aligned Countries. Soviet revisionism failed to elbow its way into the conference. Brezhnev's "high-pressured letter" to President Boumediene aroused public indignation. The debate it provoked drew condemnation in and outside the conference and throughout the world — "the Soviet Union is imperialist." This was unprecedented in the non-aligned movement over the last ten and more years. In the past few years, Soviet revisionism, disguised as an "ally," has done much harm to the Third World countries. Through their own experience, the people there see with an increasing clarity that it is a false "friend" and a real enemy. In. Asia, Soviet revisionism feverishly peddles the "Asian collective security system," allegedly for the sake of "peace" and "security" there. But the Asian countries saw only expansion and threats in its acts and manoeuvres in Asia. It has masterminded the dismemberment of Pakistan and subverted the government of a country in South Asia. It has created disputes in the Gulf area, carried out frantic military expansion in the Indian Ocean and made an open show of force in the Sea of Japan and the Western Pacific. It deploys heavy troop concentrations along the Sino-Soviet border, threatening socialist China. It flirts with the Lon Nol and Pak Jung Hi cliques and even with the Chiang Kai-shek clique, all of which have been spurred by the people. Many Asian countries correctly see the "security system" as one for Soviet revisionist aggression and expansion. The treacherous features of Soviet revisionism were revealed more fully during the Arab war of resistance against Israeli aggression last October. When Arab troops were advancing victoriously, it ganged up with U.S. imperialism to hatch a ceasefire which helped Israeli troops launch a wild counter-attack. It continued to emigrate Soviet Jews to Israel to increase the latter's manpower while extorting large sums of foreign currency from the Arab countries by taking advantage of their pressing need for arms. From these treacherous acts of Soviet revisionism, the Arab countries are well aware they have been stabbed in the back by this very so-called "ally." The Lebanese paper At Hayat pointed out: "This so-called [Soviet] friendship and these aids and assistance whose value and importance have been exaggerated are among the most important elements and factors which have brought to the Arab world numerous sufferings and miseries, contempt and humiliation, the loss of territory and dignity." What Soviet revisionism has done in Latin America also reveals more clearly its social-imperialist features. So far it has stubbornly refused to sign Additional Protocol II to the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America. This further exposes before the Third World the hypocrisy of the "detente" and "disarmament" it has feverishly trumpeted. The coup in Chile last September showed the Third World the great harm the fallacy of "peaceful transition" advocated by Soviet revisionism has brought to the revolutionary struggle of the people there. The broad masses of the people of the Latin American countries and the Third World will keep this lesson in mind and continue to march forward. Today, when the Third World is awakening with each passing day, Soviet revisionism is finding it increasingly difficult to swindle and run amuck under the signboard of "socialism."

Independence, Self-Reliance and Struggle in Unity

Through their struggles the Third World people have come to see clearly what road they should take. So long as they strengthen their unity, persevere in struggle, maintain independence and rely on their own efforts, they will surely take their destiny into their own hands and win successive victories. The two hegemonic powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, have asserted that the developing countries cannot do without them. While U.S. imperialism always boasts about the "role" of the U.S. "aid" to the Third World countries, Soviet revisionism claims that only "by way of entering into alliance*' with it can the developing countries achieve their goals. But bitter experience has proved that obeying and depending on the superpowers means placing oneself at the mercy of a tiger. Only by relying on their own efforts and uniting to fight can the Third World countries achieve what they intend. Houari Boumediene, President of the Council of Revolution of Algeria, put it well when he said that this can only be realized "by our struggle, by being conscious of our solidarity and above all by having confidence in ourselves and in our own capabilities." The Third World people have seen their own strength as a result of a series of victorious struggles. Especially in the past year, the people of the three Indochinese countries won brilliant victories after years of fighting; by their persistent struggle the Korean people opened up new prospects for realizing the independent and peaceful reunification of their fatherland; the Palestinian and other Arab people won great victories in their war against Israeli Zionist aggression; the Arab oil-producing countries demonstrated their mighty power by means of the oil embargo; the people of non-independent African regions made continuous headway in their armed struggle; and the struggle of the Latin American people to defend state sovereignty and safeguard their natural resources has vigorously advanced and is deepening. All these victories have greatly strengthened the Asian, African and Latin American people's determination to carry on their struggles and enhanced their confidence in victory. The two hegemonic powers have done their utmost to attack the principle of independence and self-reliance and insidiously sow discord among the Third World countries and people and undermine their unity. Both their opposition to self-reliance and their efforts to undermine unity are meant to serve their futile attempts to turn the Third World countries into their appendages and subject them to control and slavery. But the Asian, African and Latin American peoples have realized more and more clearly through struggle that the only way to victory is to base their policy on self-reliance and to strengthen unity in their struggle. "Unity and joint struggle" is the most powerful weapon in the hands of the Third World people and what the two hegemonic powers fear most. Forty-one independent African countries declared at the 10th African Summit Conference; "In the face of imperialist manoeuvres aimed at undermining our unity, we pledge ourselves to remain united." The past year saw a new development in the militant unity of the Third World, especially in Africa which set an example in this respect. The people of African countries have further stepped up their unity and cooperation in the political, military and economic fields in order to fight imperialism, old and new colonialism, racism and big-power hegemonism. The unity of independent African countries smashed the scheme of the Rhodesian racist regime which tried to strangle Zambia by sealing off its frontiers. In the Arab people's war against aggression, the Arab countries joined forces against their common enemies, and African countries also acted in concert with the Arab countries. A new panorama of unity in struggle was opened in the Middle East and Africa. The ranks of the Third World people uniting in the struggle against imperialism and hegemonism have further expanded and their mutual support has become more energetic. Imperialist and social-imperialist machinations to sow dissension and undermine unity have met with ignominious defeat. The world of today is one in which the people have become their own masters. The time has gone for ever when the oppressed nations and peoples were at the tender mercy of others. The Third World is sure to demonstrate greater strength in its unity and struggle and play a more active role in international affairs.